We go beyond the general rules of sheet metal bending as our customers want tight bend radii for sheet metal parts.
Minimum bend radius sheet metal aluminum.
Per the aluminum association inc.
Steel american iron and steel institute 1 see aisi s fabrication guidlines for cold bending thk 6061 t6.
Radii for various thicknesses expressed in terms of thickness t.
We recommend 5052 h32 for aluminum chassis projects.
Aluminum is typically thicker and stronger and requires more force to bend as well as consideration of edge conditions and punch nose radii.
It is possible to choose other bends if you require but additional lead time and tooling charges may apply.
The tool can calculate the required bending force for bending aluminum stainless steel mild steel and weldox or strenx high strength steels.
Divide 50 by the material s reduction percentage as specified by the material supplier subtract by 1 and then multiply by the plate thickness.
For example 6061 t6 aluminum is very difficult to bend.
In a previous bending basics article you mention a material s tensile reduction percentage used for calculating the minimum inside bend radius of various metals.
Brittle metal such as aluminum generally requires a larger bend radius than ductile material like cold rolled steel.
Bend radii minimum bend sizes.
This tool allows you to determine tonnage internal radius v die opening and minimum flange you just have to insert the characteristics of the sheet metal to be bent.
5052 h32 aluminum bends in about the same way as mild steel.
The bend radii listed are standard minimum if manufacturing for aircraft and aerospace applications.
It requires an inside bend radius of at least 6x the material thickness.
Use this document to choose values that are both manufacturable and meet your needs.
Aluminum where necessary 5052 h32 may be bent to 1t and 6061 t6 to 1 1 2t.
3003 h14 is extremely ductile.
You described a rough rule to find a steel s minimum bend radius.
In general mild steel and type 304 stainless sheet can be formed with sharp bends 1t without concern up to 1 8.
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The tables below show bend radii and minimum bend sizes for materials and tooling combinations stocked by protocase.
The minimum bend radius for aluminum when working with aluminum over sheet metal several variables need to be considered.
In general parts should be designed with a minimum 1t bend radius radius matching the sheet thickness for the simplest setup and to ensure we can form the intended geometry.
Aluminum minimum bend radii for 90 degree cold forming of sheet and plate.
